Lowering chute



May 14,1929. F. PARDEE 1,712,715

LOWER ING CHUTE Filed June 6, 1928 Patented .May 14, 1929.

UNITED STATES 1,712,715 PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK PARDEE, HAZLETON, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO ANTHRAGITE SEPA- RATOR COMPANY, OF HAZLETON, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYL- Vania.

Aliplicationfilcd June (5,

This invention relates to lowering chutes suitable for transterring various materials from a higher lo a lower level. \Vhile not limited. thereto, the device shown is particularly well suited for the piling of coal.

I-Iereto fore chutes of this character have .been provided with upright supports which in some cases have been tied together withcross bracing. The runways have been supported by various members including brackets secured either to an outerspiral flange carried by uprights or to brackets secured to the uprights themselves. 1 a I a My present improvement aims to provide a self-supporting runway in which it is unnecessary to utilize uprights andin which all supporting brackets, cross-braces and the like which cause breakage of coal and interfere with the piling are done away with;

The invention will be fully apparent from the following specification. when read in con nection with the accompanying drawingsand the features of novelty will be defined with particularity in the appended claims. In the drawings- Fig. 1 is a side elevation illustrating a lowering chute embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan View thereof;

Fig. 3 is a transverse section on line 33 of Fig. 2.

Referring in detail to the drawings, and 12 represent, respectively, outer and inner spirally shaped tubular supporting members.

The outer member is conveniently formed of a continuous length of spiral pipe. The outer diameter of the spiral being about four feet. The inner member 12 is similarly of spiral form preferably of'pipe bent to the form of a spiral, the diameter of which is approximately two feet. These two spaced spiral pipes form a skeleton to which I secure the segmental plates 14 forming the spiral runway. These plates engage the underside of the outer spiral supporting member 10 and are secured thereto by means of bolts 16. Near their inner edges, the jackets 14 are secured by means of bolts 18 to the upper face of the inner spiral supporting pipe 12.

I provide an outer plate-like spiral flange 20, the lower edge 22 of whichengages the upper surface of the spiral runway segments 14. The outer face of the plate 20 engages the inner surface of the spiral supporting member 10 and is secured thereto by means of transversely extending bolts 24.

Lownnme churn.

1923. Serial No. 283,212.

At their lower eXtri-nuitics, the tubular supporting members 10 and 12 are bent around so as to form base portions as iiulicated at 26 and 28, respectively, which lie in the same horizontal plane. These base portions are preferably, though not necessarily, integral extensions of the members 10 and 12 and they form a staunch base or foundation for the entire runway structure. i

, The spiral supporting members 1.0 and 1.2 are so formed and disposed the ias viewed. in a sectiontaken radially of the spiral, the member 10 lies in a plane higher than the member 12 so as to support the runway segments 14. in such manner that they extend inward ly and. downwardly as clearly indicated in Figs. 1 and 3. The structure described pro vides a support for a spiral runway whiclris devoid of vertical upright framen embers and also avoids the necessity of using. crossbracing or supporting brackets which iinterfere with the proper handling of coal or similar easily broken materials. While in the drawings I have illustrated only a trifle over a full turn, it is, of course to be understoodv that the spiral may be made of greater height by merely increasing the number of turns.

The upright flange 20 may be made of extremely thin sheet steel instead of heavy plate material as used in prior constructions and it is much more easilyrolled to the proper spiral shape. This flange is not intended to rigidity the structure but merely to serve as a retaining flange to confine the stream of material travelling along the runway. The tubular or pipe-like members 10 and 12, it will be appreciated, form the sole supporting structure for the runway. The material may be fedto the runway by any suitable means such, for example, as by means of the inclined chute 30 shown in the drawings.

While it seems generally preferable to design the parts of such dimensions as to avoid the necessity of the ordinary supports or braces, yet spiralmembers of the character above referred to may be used with advantage also in connection with such supports or braces.

While I have described quite specifically the details of the embodiment of the invention illustrated, it is not to beconstrued that I am limited thereto since various modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim is 1. A spiral lowering chute comprising a spiral runway supported at its inner and outer edges by separate spaced spiral mem bers, the lower ends of which are extended and disposed in the same plane to form a supporting base for the structure.

2. A sprial lowering chute comprising a spiral runway supported by inner and outer tubular members and an upright spiral platelike fiangerhaving its lower edge engaging spiral runway supported at its inner and outer edges by laterally spaced spiral pipes having their lower ends extended and bent into the same horizontal plane to form a supporting base.

5. A spiral lowering chute comprising a spiral runway formed of a series of segmental plates, an outer Y spiral tubular support to which sa'id' segmental plates are secured, an upright spiral plate-like flange secured to saidtubular support and a base secured'to said tubular support.

6. A spiral lowering chute Comprising a spiral runway formed of a series of segmental plates, an outer spiral tubular support to which said segmental plates are secured. an upright spiral plate-like flange secured to said tubular support, and an inner tubular support secured to the segmental plates.

7 A self-supporting spiral runway including inner and outer spiral supporting members having extensions disposed in substam tially the same horizontal plane and forming a supporting base for the structure.

8. A self-supporting spiral lowering chute comprising inner and outer spiral supporting members having integral base portions, :1 runway comprising a series of segmental plates secured at their inner and outer portions to said members and an uprightflange secured to one of said members.

9. A self-supporting spiral lowering chute comprising inner an d'outer spiral supporting members having base portions. a runway colnprising a series of segmental plates secured at their inner and outer portions to said members and an upright spiral plate having itslower edge engaging the runway and being secured to the inner face of the outer spiral supporting member.

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name.

FRANK PARDEE. 

